Friday, January 4, 2013

It's giveaway time!

Happy New Year!

Did you have a chance to relax over Christmas? I hope so!

Our Christmas was... eventful! If you follow Beautifully Organised on Twitter & Facebook you may have seen my updates on poor Sophie - she broke her arm falling off a swing on Boxing Day... and ended up needing surgery on her elbow and a 3 day stay in hospital!

Poor little thing, but I have to say she handled it really well - better than I think I would have! The staff and volunteers at the hospital were amazing - I was allowed to stay with Soph the whole time and they made us feel so at home, she barely complained at all. We are SO grateful for everyone there, and for our family for helping us out looking after Georgia so we could spend time with Sophie at the hospital.

I'm also really thankful for all of you! It was so lovely getting your well wishes, thoughts and tips on managing our time in hospital :) It really made me realise how much this blog has become a community of people happy to share what works for them and help each other out. I'm so proud of all of you and feel so lucky to have you here xx

So to say thank you for all of your support over the last few weeks and since I first started this blog, I'm running a giveaway this week!

I have 5 Beautifully Organised prize packs to give away - each valued at over $100 and consisting of:

A gorgeous SAKitToMe foldable bag: My go to bag for shopping, swimming lessons with the kids, sorting out stuff while organising, toting around presents / library books / pretty much anything else, and a permanent resident in my handbag just in case (I have the 'owl' one - you can choose which animal you want !).

A free 1 year subscription to the 2013 House and Family Binder printables: This planner has been a big hit since it's release a few weeks ago and is helping lots of busy mums make 2013 their year to be more organised and relaxed - and who doesn't need a bit more of that in their life? Plus you'll get free access to all new printables added to it for the whole of 2013!

A free 1 year subscription to the Make Life Easy workshop: My 6 week program that helps busy mums handle everything life throws at them! It runs 4 times a year and includes not only practical hints & tips that work but also one on one, personal email support from me for the whole course, every time it runs. Check it out here to see exactly what we cover in the workshop.

To enter, make sure you're subscribed to the Beautifully Organised newsletter - you'll also get my free ebook 5 Steps to an Easy Morning when you sign up :)

Then just comment below and tell me what your top organising goal is this year! It could be anything:

Getting the house tidy

Being on time for work / school in the mornings

Starting the Christmas shopping early

Learning how to remove stains in your washing

Finding a home for your handbags

Having more 'you' time

.. whatever's on top of your list!

Entries close at midnight (Sydney time), Friday, January 11, 2013, and I'll announce the winner on the blog and in the Beautifully Organised weekly newsletter shortly after.

Don't forget the fine print:

Prizes can be sent worldwide

It's a game of skill so I'm looking for answers that are thoughtful and really descriptive of your situation!

Make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you so I can let you know if you win! Email address, Twitter / FB details, etc. Post your contact method here in comments or email it privately to me at marissa@beautifullyorganised.com

I only found you a few weeks ago so my goal is to go back through all of your posts to see what I can learn! I really need help in every area and after it being my new years resolution for the last 3 years....this year I WILL GET ORGANISED!! Im a new mum, my son is 8 months, and I am returning to work in acouple of weeks so now is the time to do it! I have made a good start by printing out menu planners to plan our dinners for the week and that then helps me to write a shopping list. Something i never did before! I have also planned which rooms to tidy on which days (excluding the days i will work) in my new Organised Mums family life book. This is what I find the most difficult at the moment....keeping on top of the housework and keeping our home tidy. So having a plan will hopefully help me. Good start but i know i will need the continued support from Beautifully Organised to keep it up! Thank you x

I have a big year planned this year for getting my butt into gear! I HAVE to organise my house, we have so much stuff in such a very tiny space. We were meant to be getting an extension but now that is not happening so we will be here for another 12-18 months. So need to pack things away and work out the best ways to keep everything tidy and to stop loosing things all the time!!! With 3 kids at school this year and only having one at home it is a big priority for us to become a more organised family, so both the kids and I are always on time and prepared for the day/ activity.

I love your blog and i look forward to what you have planned for the new year thanks :-)jodie_25@bigpond.com

Mine's quite complicated as it all ties in together - I think though my overall goal is taking time for me! Not just time to relax, but making sure that I'm on top of things enough to feel good about myself and how our house is running. I have an incredibly demanding year coming up at uni, and need to focus a huge amount of energy towards that. I am also the mother of 3 daughters, one who is special needs, which again takes up a lot of time and energy. And on top of that, my special needs daughter is entering her senior years of high school, and my big goal with her in mind is making sure that she is able to take care of herself and be independent for when she moves out of home/goes to university/whatever happens after high school.

So, a lot of things on my plate this year that can at times be emotionally draining and definitely are time consuming. With this in mind, I need to prioritise myself, and take action to make sure that I am feeling good - whether I need time to myself, a reward, or to plan ahead to make things run smoother the next day, set reasonable and achievable goals for uni and so many other things :)

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Happy New Year. I think my top goal would be to have my home running more smoothly than previously so that I can live the type of life I want to live...and that does not include searching for clean school uniforms each morning and running to the supermarket at 9.30 at night to have something to put in the boys lunches ! I have started implementing your cleaning schedule (one room a day) and I would like to continue with that and fit it into my routine more. But the end result of any of these organising projects is always to help us to enjoy life more and not feel overwhelmed !! Thanks Marrissa from Jeanette in Melbourne (jomearac@hotmail.com)

Wow! Great giveaway. My top organizing tip this year involves getting small things done in advance that save me time later. For example, yesterday, I spent less than ten minutes running around the house grabbing a spare change of clothes for each kid, and putting it in a ziplock bag in the car. It was so easy, and now I won't ever have to buy ridiculously priced underwear or nappies in a service station again!

My top goal for organising this year is actually learning how to be organised. Since I have been a stay at home Mum things have been somewhat crazy and being organised flew out of the window a long time ago.

This year I have a new Preppy of to school, I'm heading to Uni for the first time and the dynamics of my home will once again change. I'm in desperate need of guidance and advice on how to jump onto the right track and not derail throughout the year.

This package would be a perfect start to help me in organising my home and family. To be able to balance study, school, being Mum still and juggling the chores and coming out at the end of year feeling in control, stress free and happy :)

Sorry to hear about your little one in hospital, its awful when the little ones need surgery.I need help with my time management. I'm terrible at it and about to head back to full time work so god only knows how I'm going to do it! I can be reached at chrissie@organisedchaos-blog.com xx

Like everyone it's about being more organised. Thereby allowing more time for the important stuff = family and me time. We have a small house and limited space so purging and reorganising is a high priority and unfortunately I am a procrastinator. So ooodles of time is wasted on the hows and the whys, rather than just doing. Thanks for the opportunity.Cheers.

I will be organising my life more in 2013: procrastinating less, holding people to account for their actions against me - regardless of any negative impact on them, their reputation, and their financial position, continue with my studies, renovating, and am wanting to manage my own superannuation fund.

Hence, 2013 will be about de-cluttering my home and my personal life and allow positivity to flow through.

I resolve to delegate more this year. With 3 teenage boys who need to learn to cook and do housework, I am no longer going to "do it all". Teaching them to help me will be teaching them life skills. Letting go will be good for us all.

Oh I love Karlene's idea! I'm going to do that one! She should definitely win a pack!

My biggest tip this year is not to put unnecessary pressure on yourself - something I'm reminding myself of this year. I have so much on my plate and I can't see where I can let up on anything - so the idea is just to be realistic about what needs to be done and for me - force myself to be organised. JFDI is my motto this year! ;)

NYE to sort myself out! Being promising myself to lose weight & get fit but with working and kids dont seem to have time but as got a 10 wk old dalmation for my 40th I will be getting fit! I've retaken one exam every 3mths for 2 years, this year i will pass it (the other 8 exams for this qualifacation I passed 1st time I will organise the kids to do more around house instead of leaving it all for me, will find time to spend with hubby and finally I will build up some savings!!!! Thinks thats it................

My Miss 5 was having trouble keeping her room under control, so today I declutted it, leaving behind just Barbie dolls in the Barbie doll house, and sof toys on her bed. Her wooden Chest of toys was emptied and all but a few items were bagged up for the op-shop. The Chest is now in the lounge, containing now all the toys that were in the lounge. Two areas decluttered today, feeling good. Five bags of toys and clothes to the op-Shop. Took nearly two hours, but it looks so much better!!!

I find having a small house keeps me organised - we just don't have space for clutter. I also use part of my Christmas holidays to through and give away/sell all our belongings that we don't use or need.

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My top organising goal for this year is to get on top of tomorrow before I go to bed. You know - have lunches made, have the dishes done, the kitchen bench tidy, washing in the washing machine ready to go in the morning, etc. It doesn't come naturally to me, as I am a morning person and have to fight the urge to collape on the couch as soon as the kids are in bed. However, this year promises to be a VERY full on year in our house - my oldest daughter is starting school, and my husband has some very big exams he has to do for his job, in May and August. As a result, the job of keeping the household running is going to be very heavily on my shoulders, and I really want to keep it running gracefully, so that life is as easy and smooth as possible for everyone in the house. Being organised in my time is my big goal, but in the interest of keeping my goal simple, specific and measurable, I am going to work on going to bed every night organised for the coming day.

Everyone talks about getting life's balance right. Looking after the family, keeping fit and healthy, fitting in time to see friends, making time for hobbies and finding time to relax. For me there's work and study in there too. Something I've come to realise in the past year is that it's impossible to get the balance right - no matter how much organising you do, it would take a miracle for all those things to become perfectly balanced in one year, let alone one day! What I have learned is that it's OK for things to be off kilter a bit, and to aim for a "personal, not perfect" balance. I know some times in the year will be busier with family, other times I'll have my nose in my textbooks. And it's perfectly OK to organise it that way :) So on top of my organisation list this year is to get through my degree while fitting in as much as I can of the other things that make life great, without getting too worried about the things that don't quite fit!

Desperately needing to organise my meals, sounds trivial but knowing what to cook every night for dinner that is healthy, filling, yummy and cost effective is the biggest energy zapping mind boggling part especially after a long day at work and 4 hungry kids whinging. So having a meal plan organised will ensure some much needed order in this 5pm chaotic household. I also need to organise a study area that suits our 2 younger boys, so they can start good study habits now before High School.

I am heading back to the workforce in March after having my two girls so....My organising goal is to get out of the house and to childcare by 7am and hopefuly have all of us fully clothed on arrival! (Bec)

Cooking is definitely not my thing, so I'm trying to prioritize a weekly menu and shopping list every Sunday. I am going to prepare vegies before i go to work and hopefully I wont be stressing during the week with "What will I cook tonight?

Paperwork and emails etc...... it is in boxes/folders everywhere, I have bought the paperflow book and want to sort through it all and put a filing system in place and schedule to keep it under control that is my main goal. I also want to sort through rest of the clutter as hope to build and move into our new house this year, so it will be the perfect chance to start afresh without the clutter. Christie Newton (Facebook)Your ideas are fabulous Marissa and you motivate me to continue to strive to be more organised.